FIRST!

Opening nights feel different. Whether at the theater, museum or even a bookstore, you enter not only expecting, but demanding a life-changing experience. You dress up, fight crowds and pay a premium to be one of the first to experience a spiritual, political or sensory transformation. The Contemporary Art Museum (3750 Washington Boulevard; 314-535-4660 or www.contemporarystl.org) won't disappoint your expectations, with two new exhibits being unveiled on Friday, January 23 — and you don't have to pay anything to see them. Explore Bruce Nauman's Dead Shot Dan, designed to humor and entice with neon sculptures, drawings, prints, photographs and videos, and also discover the first ever solo museum exhibition of found-art sculptures by artist Gedi Sibony, My Arms Are Tied Behind My Other Arms. The opening night reception lasts from 7 to 9 p.m., with a cash bar and complimentary valet parking. Both shows remain on display Wednesday through Sunday until Sunday, April 19. Image Credit: BRUCE NAUMAN/ARTISTS RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NEW YORK
Wednesdays-Sundays. Starts: Jan. 23. Continues through April 18, 2009